Apparatus for the manufacture of match sticks



Oct. 26 1926. 1,604,158

H. FINSTERWALD 3 APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MATCH STICKS I Filed Oct. 13. 1925 Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS FINSTERWALD, O1: GEBENSTORF, SWITZERLAND.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MATCH STICKS.

Application filed October 13, 1925, Serial No. 62,304, and in Germany June 7, 192%.

This invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of small wooden sticks, more particularly match sticks, of square or rectangular crosssection. The material first slit by slitting knives whichare supported on a flywheel and which are guided in a straight line during the cutting. According' to the invention aninvolute knife is employed for cutting oil' the wood previously slit.

lnvolute knives are already knownin disintegrating machines. It is, however, new to employ involute knives for cutting sticks from previously slit wood. Hitherto in chopping machines working by he pealing process, the knives'have been provided with rectilinear edges. Such knives have the disadvantage that in the case of previously slit wood they break away the edges of the sticks. lVith involute knives on the contrary the cut is tangential to the fibre of the wood throughout the cut, exerts thereon a drawing out and has no tendency at all to break off the edges. Owing to the involute form of the knife an absolutely accurate cutting o'li" of the previously slit sticks is ensured, the natural porosity of the wood remains protected and the sticks acquire the utmost possible strength because the cut follows the direction of the fibre. The stick has smooth surfaces which are accurately parallel to one another and is therefore excellently adapted for further work ing up in automatic machines.

In the accompanying drawing one constructional example of the invention is illustrated.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the flywheel of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a section on the line AB CD in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line E-F in Figure 1;

Figure a is an end View of the flywheel, and

Figures 5 and 6 show diagrannnatically the position of the involute knife relative to the wood at the beginning and end of the cut.

The slitting knives 2 are gripped in a. channel-shaped clamp 22 which is displaceable in a guide 23 parallel to the disc. spring 24: presses upon a block 25 which is secured to the clamp '22. The other end of the spring bears a ainst a support 26 on the flywheel 1. To t e block 25 is secured a roller 27, which is guided in a straight line during the traversing of the slitting knives on apiece of wood 3 by a stationary track 28 so that the knives 2, during the cutting, do not move along a circular are but along a straight line and slit the piece of wood in corresponding parallel straight lines. An involute knife 4 is secured approximately diametrically opposite to the slitting knives over a gap 5 in the flywheel 1 in such a way that it leaves a narrow slot 6 along the edge. In front of the flywheel 1 are located in a casing 7 of rectangular crosssection, and rigidly mounted on shafts 8 and. 9 respectively, two perpendicularly grooved cylinders 10. Moreover to the shaft is keyed a ratchet wheel 11 and, on the same shaft is oscillatably arranged a lever 1:2 which is pressed by a spring 12 (Figure against the flywheel 1. Furthermore there is mounted upon each of the two shafts 8 and 9 a spur wheel 13. two spur wheels are in mesh with one another. On the lever 12 there is a pawl 14-. which engages in the ratchet wheel 11 under the pressure of a spring 15. Another pawl 16, the bolt of which is screwed firmly to the casing 7 and which is subjec: to the pressure of a spring 1'7, likewise engages in the ratchet wheel 11. At the upper end of the lever 12 upon a screw-threaded bolt 18 there is an anti-friction roller 19 which is adapted to run over acurved track 20 on the flywheel 1. 3eside each of the two grooved cylinders 10 and rigidly connected with the casing 7 there is a guiding piece 21 which is provided with a plurality of horizontal knife-edged ribs. These are intended for protecting the piece of wood that is to be cut against lateral and vertical displacement.

The method of working of the apparatus described is as follows:

The piece of wood to be worked up pushed into the casing "I and pressed against the cylinders 10. This may be effected either by hand or by suitable appar tas. lVith each revolution of the flywheel in the direction of the arrow the cylinders 10 rotate owing to their being influenced by the roekable lever 12, the pawl 1a, the ratchet wheel 11 and the spur wheels 18, and push the piece of wood 3 against the knives.

The relative positions of the flywheel and of the cutting knife shown in Figure 1 correspond to the commencement of a work Th ese cutting distance of the slitting knives cor responds exactly to the desired width of stick. According to this method of slit-ting,

the piece of wood 3 to be worked up is pushed forward against the flywheel 1 by a feeding device through a distance exactly equal to the depth of the slit, whereupon the curved cutting knife 4 comes into the position shown in Figure 5 which corresponds to the commencement of the cutting process. From the relative positions of the piece ot' wood 3 and the cutting knife 4: (Figure 5) it will be seen that the horizontally running wood fibres 3 run almost exactly tangentially to the curved knife edge and that the knife edge cuts up the wood approximately from the centre outwards towards both sides. Figure 6 shows the flywheel and the cutting knife at the end of the cutting process and it will be immediately obvious that the aforementioned conditions,

In a match stick cutting apparatus, in

combination with work-holding and feeding means, a fly-wheel, slitting knives supported on the flywheel, means for guiding the slitting knives in a straight line during cutting action to form a series of straight parallel incisions in the work, and an involute knife carried by the fly-wheel, the form of the knife hearing such relation to the work holding and feeding means that, during its cutting action, the knife edge and incisions are maintained in substantially tangential relation.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HANS FINSTERVVALD. 

